Strikeforce should go the pre-Hulk TNA route....

[SHOGUN]

....and switch from the "traditional" cage to a ring to differentiate itself from the UFC. And a proper ring that is fit for actual fights, not one of those shitty SHINE Fight rings with the flimsy ropes. There was potential with the six-sided ring in TNA, but they made it too small to really utilize it. I think it would be refreshing to audiences that have only seen caged fights and I simply want to see a major US promotion use a ring badly.

:couch:

[CrimsonGhost56]

the only way to go...

 

[EmpireWF]

If they haven't done it by now, Strikeforce never will.

[SHOGUN]

If they haven't done it by now, Strikeforce never will.

That's only because no one has pitched the idea to Coker.

[EmpireWF]

That's only because no one has pitched the idea to Coker.

You so smart :box:

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

People need to be able to identify with the product. Americans identify MMA with the Octagon or cage. You switch to a ring...you lose a bit of that American identity.

[Warner2BruceTD]

People need to be able to identify with the product. Americans identify MMA with the Octagon or cage. You switch to a ring...you lose a bit of that American identity.

Exactly, switching to a ring would be instant death.

It reminds me of a story Paul Heyman likes to tell, about how he sat down with the IFL people when they wanted to hire him to run the company. The first question he asked, was ring or cage. When they said ring, he stood up, shook their hands, thanked them for there time, and left the meeting.

Not to mention that the cage is just a far better fight environment. When John McCarthy speaks to new athletic commisions concering regulation, he always pushes for the cage and brings a tape of all of the ring follies from the PRIDE days (guys falling out of the ring, losing their balance against the ropes, etc). Rings are dangerous.

My feeling, is because of all the advantages of the cage, not to mention the influence of the UFC (who is represented by the very well respected Mark Ratner, the former Nevada State Athletic Commissioner), cages will eventually be the standard and approved location for all MMA fights.

[SHOGUN]

The cage is a safer environment, but saying the cage being a far better environment than a ring is a stretch. It's much much easier to stall in a cage than ring, the negatives of a ring aren't nearly as frequent as the negatives of the cage as well as a bit overblown, and as a fan watching fights in a ring is more visually appealing and a better view live.

Yeah the cage has become synonymous with US MMA, but it would still be nice to see a major US promotion use a ring simply as a change of pace. Until then I'll have to settle for Maximum FC.

[JayDizzle]